Leeton Greens' Hayden Philp takes out Ray Thorpe Medal for 2021

While after a strong second season with the Leeton Greens, Hayden Philp was looking like the favourite to take it out, and he did, but he didn't get the honour all to himself.

The talented forward will be sharing the medal with Griffith Black and Whites coach Andrew Lavaka.

It seems fitting that both coaches of the two sides who finished first and second at the end of the regular season, it still came as a surprise to the 2019 winner.

"You don't aim to win awards like this, but it's a great honour and a privilege to win it again," he said.

"I'm pretty lucky to have such a great group of guys around me that you want to play for. It isn't for the individual accolades. It is to play for those guys and go out there and do your best."

While acknowledging there was talk of him being one of the names in the running to take out the award, he didn't think it would come his way again.

"You hear a few things, but I thought there were some other great guys in the competition, and obviously, Andrew Lavaka is a tough opponent," he said.

"In every game that we played against them, he was one of their best. Even some of our boys in Cam Bruest, Kirtis (Fisher) and Will Barnes.

"You could name nearly the whole side. They all put in the effort."

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It was looking like a good finish to the season for the Leeton side, who looked favourites to book a place in the grand final, likely alongside the Black and Whites, and Philp feels the anti-climax at the end of the season will spur his side on.

"Not just for me individually but the guys to have taken the year that was cut short, and I guess that we will never know, and we will just have to go and do it again next year," he said.

"We have a pretty young side with a few older heads in there. Those young guys are only going to get better and better each year. It is just going to get more exciting for Leeton in the coming year."

Philp said the Greens will be looking at getting preseason underway in early December ahead of the 2022 season.

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